Clause 71
Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill
10:30 am
David Burrowes (Shadow Minister, Justice; Enfield, Southgate, Conservative)
Welcome back, Sir Nicholas. I look forward to the proceedings of the Committee and our deliberations. The issue of street offences is no doubt serious and important. It is right to focus by way of the amendment on concerns about under-18s. Those concerns will be reflected during our debate on a number of amendments and clauses. There is focus on dealing with those who are vulnerable and exploited, and I particularly welcome the intentions behind the amendment.
I invite the Minister to respond to a concern that we all share about dealing with what is out there and happening in practice. It is accepted that clause 71 seeks to address the practice of persistent prostitution and to focus the criminality on persistence. I understand that current practice is that after the police have issued two cautions to those involved in prostitution, they would seek to prosecute. The concern to divert prostitutes away from their practice and trade is reflected in the other clauses that we will deal with when we examine the issue of rehabilitation. The issue raised by the amendment is whether clause 71, as it stands, will deal with the most vulnerable and most exploited. The amendment goes to the heart of that issue. There are reports that 85 per cent. of street-based prostitutes report physical abuse in the family and that 45 per cent. report familial sexual abuse. Those reported statistics are no doubt aggravated by age. Those who are under 18, by the nature of their age, are prone to exploitation and abuse. While we are all concerned to focus on how we can reduce trafficking into prostitution, plainly that issue is all the more important when dealing with those who are under 18. I therefore look forward to hearing the Minister justify clause 71 in relation to an over-18 threshold.